Calendar No. 1337 86TH CONGRESS SENATE I RREPORT 2D Session No
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Calendar No. 1337 86TH CONGRESS SENATE i RREPORT 2d Session No. 1304 __ ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF GENERAL OF THE ARMIES JOHN J. PERSHING MAY 2, 1960.-Ordered to be printed Mr. O'MAIONEY, from the Committee on the Judiciary, submitted the following RE PORT [To accompany H.J. Res. 640] The Committee on the Judiciary, to which was referred the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 640), to authorize and request the President to issue a proclamation in connection with the centennial of the birth of General of the Armies John J. Pershing, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon, with an amendment, and recommends that the resolution, as amended, do pass. AMENDMENT On page 2, line 1, beginning with the word "The", strike all down to and including the word "Government." on line 5, and insert in lieu thereof the following: "The Secretary of Defense will be responsible for coordination between such civic and patriotic organizations and the departments and agencies of the Government." PU RPO1.10 The purpose of the joint resolution as amended is to authorize and request the President of the United States to proclaim September 13, 1960, as a (lay upon which all Americans should pay honor and respect to General of the Armies John J. Pershiing and the men who served under him. STATEMENT September 13, 1960, is the 100 anniversary of the birth of General of the Armies John J. Pershing. In view of the significant contribution which General Persling made to the American victory in World War I, in organizing the American Expeditionary Forces ln 1917 and their subsequent participation in 49000 2 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH OF JOHN J. PERSHING the battles in France, and in view of the fact that he symbolizes the men of the AEF who fought under him, this resolution would authorize and request the President to proclaim September 13, 1960, as a day upon which all Americans should pay honor and respect to General Pershing and the men who served under him. This resolution authorizes departments and agencies of the Govern- ment to cooperate with civic and patriotic organizations in cere- monies commemorating General Pershing's birth. In addition, the resolution, as amended, designates the Secretary of Defense as the responsible officer for the coordination between civic and patriotic organizations and the departments and agencies of the Government. The 100th anniversary of the birth of General Pershing will occur on September 13, 1960. The anniversary will afford a convenient and appropriate time for the American people to pay honor to General Pershing and the unique American military system of which he was a product and exemplar. It will also furnish an appropriate occasion to recall the achievements of the men and women who served in the AEF, whose ranks grow thinner with each passing year. Accordingly, the committee recommends the favorable considera- tion of House Joint Resolution 640, as amended. Following is a statement of General Pershing's military history and accomplishments. John J. Pershing was born near Laclede, Mo., on September 13, 1860. He was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy from his native State on July 1, 1882, and upon graduation on July 1, 1886, was commissioned a second lieutenant of cavalry. He was promoted to first lieutenant on October 20, 1892; and to major (temporary) on August 18, 1898; to captain (permanent) on February 2, 1901. On June 30, 1901, he reverted to the permanent rank of captain; and was promoted to brigadier general, Regular Army, on September 20, 1906; to major general on September 25, 1916; and to general on October 6, 1917. He became general of the armies on September 3, 1919. General Pershing joined the 6th Cavalry on September 30, 1886, and served with it at Fort Bayard, Fort Wingate, and Fort Stanton, N. Mex., until December 1, 1890. He served in the field in cam- paigns against the Apache Indians; and being transferred to South Dakota, he participated in campaigns against the Sioux Indians, and commanded Indian Scouts at Pine Ridge Agency, S.D. From September 25, 1891 to October 1, 1895, General Pershing was professor of military science and tactics at the University of Nebraska, and upon completion of that duty joined the 19th Cavalry at Fort Assinniboine, Mont. During the following summer he participated in a roundup of Cree Indians in the Northwestern States and their return to Canada. On December 20, 1896, he was assigned to duty on the staff of Gen. Nelson B. Miles, at Iead- quarters of the Army in Washington, and on May 1, 1897, returned to his regiment at Fort Assinniboine where he remained to June 1, 1897. He then served as assistant instructor of tactics at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y., to May 5, 1898, when he joined, at his own request, his regiment, the 10th Cavalry, at Chickamauga Park, Ga., sailing with it to Cuba, where lie served with distinction in the Santiago campaign. Upon his return to the United States he was on 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH OF JOHN J. PERSHING 3 duty at Headquarters of the Army, Washington, D.C., to December 20, 1898, and in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War in con- nection with insular affairs until his appointment, upon the organiza- tion of the Division of Customs and Insular Affairs, as its first chief. In September 1899, he requested active service in the Philippines where he served in various official capacities in the Department of Mindanao, until October 11, 1901, when he returned to the line in command at Iligan, in charge of Moro affairs at Camp Vicars, and in command of Vicars, participating in many operations against the Moros. He returned to the United States in July 1903, and after serving until January 1904, with the War Department General Staff in Washington, D.C., was assigned to duty as Assistant to Chief of Staff, and as Acting Chief of Staff, Southwestern Division, Oklahoma City, Okla., to October 24, 1904. He attended the Army War College, Washington, to January 1905. He served as military attach in Japan, beginning in February 1905, and during the Russian-Japanese War he was an accredited observer with the Japanese Army and accompanied General Nuroki's army in later stages of the Manchurian campaign. His duties brought him back to the United States, then to Europe under special instruc- tions pending result of situation in the Balkans, as an observer should open hostilities ensue. In December 1908 he returned to the United States, serving for a short time in the Office of Chief of Staff, in Washington, D.C. He returned to the Philippines in October 1909, where he assumed command of the Department of Mindanao. Upon his return to the United States in January 1914, he commanded the 8th Brigade to April 1914; served on the Mexican border to March 15, 1916, when he entered Mexico in command of the Punitive Ex- pedition, remaining there until February 1917. Upon his return to the United States, he commanded the District of El Paso, Tex., to February 21, 1917, and the Southern Department to May 1917. He was designated by the President on May 26, 1917, to lead the American forces in the World War, and sailed for France on May 28, 1917. He returned to the States on September 8, 1919, at which time he was assigned to duty at General Headquarters, American Expedi- tionary Forces, Washington, to August 31, 1920; and at Headquarters, General of the Army, Washington, to July 1, 1921. On that date he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army, in which capacity he served until his retirement, for age, on September 13, 1924. In 1923 General Pershing became Chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission, which was created by Congress for the purpose of commemorating the services of the American forces in Europe during the World War. In November 1924 he was designated by President Coolidge as Ambassador to represent the United States in Peru during the centennial of the battle which marked the end of Spanish domination in South America. I-e returned the following year to South America, where hle served as lead of the Tacna-Aricn Plebiscitary Commission. On June 24, 1936, he was appointed by the President as a member of a commission to prepare plans for the erec- tion of a memorial within the Panama Canal Zone to Gen. George W. Goethals, builder of the Panama Canal. On June 27, 1936, he took his seat in the French Institute, having been elected a member (foreign associate) of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. 4 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF BIRTH OF JOHN J. PERSHING In 1937 he was appointed by President Roosevelt as a member of a special delegation to represent him at the Coronation of His Majesty King George VI, and attended the ceremonies in London. General Pershing received many honorary degrees, which are shown below. His military decorations and awards were numerous, and follow in detail. HONORARY DEGREES LL.B. and LL.D., University of Nebraska. D.C.L., Oxford University. LL.D., Cambridge University. LL.D., University of St. Andrews, Scotland. LL.D., University of Arizona. LL.D., University of Missouri. LL.D., George Washington University. LL.D., Columbia University. LL.D., Williams College. LL.D., Yale University. LL.D., Harvard University. D. of M.S., Pennsylvania Military College. LL.D., University of Pennsylvania. LL.D., McGill University, Canada. LL.D., University of Maryland. LL.D., Princeton University. D. of M.S., New York University. LL.D., the College of William and Mary, the University of Wyoming.